ROMA!

On the Sunday following Cinque Terre, we took a trip together to ROMA! I was very excited to see Rome and all of its history. Our first stop was the Colosseum, which while it was still an incredible sight, was smaller than I had envisioned it. We walked around inside of it, and Randall gave us a picture in our heads of what it used to be like. We saw where the king and queen used to sit, and where the nobles and poor were allowed to be. It was incredible; it made me want to go back in time and see what it was like to be there before it was falling apart and when it was packed full of people.
Next we explored the forum and the rest of the ancient city. That was incredible experience, everything looked to ancient and made me feel like I wasn't in the middle of a large crowded city, but as though I was physically experiencing history. We walked up the Palatine Hill and saw he view of the entire ancient city. The view from there and the garden inside was beautiful.
We then walked around the city and saw other sites such as the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. One thing that I found truly fascinating about Rome is how the city just seems so ancient. Judging only by the crowded streets and abundance of stores and people rushing around, you would think you are in New York or another big city that is dirty and overly industrialized. However, in Rome the architecture is all so ancient and beautiful, as if you are walking around a museum. It blew my mind how such beautiful and historical architecture mixed so well with the hustle and bustle of a big city.
One of my favorite parts about Rome was seeing the Trevi Fountain. It was something I had always wanted to see, and it was even more beautiful in person than in pictures that I have seen. I wish we could have gotten to spend more time in Rome in order to really experience more of the city, but I am so happy that I got to see what I did of it.